I was working as a sales representative for a prestigious pharmaceutical company in Uruguay when I got a call that would change my life. Or rather, I got paged. Remember pagers?
At the time, I was only 23 and had been enjoying a much deserved vacation. Nevertheless, I was told to come into the office immediately. Fortunately, there was good news. I had been promoted and given five direct reports.
Even though I had earned the promotion, I could tell that some of my colleagues were skeptical because of my age. In fact, my boss looked at me somberly and said, “You will have to convince me this was a good decision.”
The following years were tough. I had much to prove to my boss and my team. But five years later, we tripled the size of the business, got close to 90% market share, and launched six brands and dozens of training programs. I eventually left that company to pursue other career opportunities in Latin America before joining Medtronic in 2017.
Today, my former boss is one of my mentors. So is the human resources manager who believed in me when others had doubts.
I share my experience with younger colleagues in hopes that it might help them someday. As the leader of the Medtronic Women’s Network in Chile, I am particularly interested in helping my female coworkers succeed.
Years ago, I was challenged to prove that I could be a successful leader. Today, my husband and I challenge our children to listen, learn, and find their own mentors. I am so grateful for my mentors and the role they played in making me the leader I am.
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